I'm absolutely delighted by the result of the Plaid Cymru leadership election, and want to congratulate Leanne on a brilliant performance and well deserved victory.

Leanne, I'm sure you will be bombarded from all sides with advice on what you should do now you are leader, and I'll do it too. But this is the most important piece of advice I can give you:

We elected you as our leader because of who you are and what you stand for. Please don't think you have to change because of the position you now hold or the new responsibilities you now have. Sure, there'll be some things you'll want to do differently, but don't change the things that matter.

just goes to show that that being a socialist and being in favour of independence for wales isnt an obstacle to winning elections. Today hope has triumphed over pragmatism...a historic day for plaid and for wales too!

I feel very happy indeed today at this news. Watching the clips on ITV/BBC news of Leanne being told to leave the siambr by DET for daring to refer to our current head of state as Mrs Windsor, well, that just tickled me pink. Sweet irony.

I'm extatic at this result! At last a leader with a passionate vision for the future of our country and party, MH i'll join you in spirit;)Congrats Leanne a superb campaign that is endorsed by the membership.Ymlaen, dros Cymru!Elyboy.

A fantastic result for Leanne and a complete vindication for the grass-roots' desire for change-against the old guard's instinctive timidity and "we know best" attitude.

Jonathan Edwards's crucial role in managing the campaign must also be acknowledged: the way Leanne outlined a range of strong nationalist policies to build up momentum in the virtual world and the real world at the same time was just brilliant.

And someone who believes that developing the Welsh language should be the essential raison d'etre of a future Welsh state, the fact that we have a Welsh learner now leading the nationalist movement is just so apposite somehow.

Leanne was so assured, and modest, on all the news programs yesterday that it bodes well for Plaid's public image in the future. And when she said 'Diolch, Huw', and he replied 'diolch', his smile was too wide for my TV - will have to get a wider screen.

I know this is naughty, but I have to say I enjoyed DET's obvious discomfiture when the result was announce. What now for him? Spend more time with his ermine gowns?

A lot of people, including myself, voted Leanne and not Elin, not because we believed Leanne was 'better' than Elin, but because we felt at this time in Plaid's history we needed to make a bold statement. We may come to regret it, I hope not.

Leanne and her team need to understand why she won the election.

1. It wasn't because of social network (twitter etc.). That didn't win or convert votes, it just gave people the impression (correct impression) that Leanne's team was organised and on the ball. Don't get the wrong message on good social network campaigns. They don't win elections more than good posters or rosettes do, they're are just part of the message.

2. There was a swing from the timid managerial, don't rock the boat and scare the voters attitude of Plaid over the last 10 years. No more slogans like 'make a difference' (eh - what the hell was that?!). So, Leanne's clear, confident nationalist message appeal to people like myself who wouldn't call themselves socialists. Note to Leanne's team - the nationalist line will win more public votes than the socialist line. They can be the same policies, but call it nationalist not socialist.

3. Big strategies like the Green Valleys document by Leanne are OK, but just OK. People want more concrete initiatives - lower interest rates, corporation tax etc. This is difficult for Plaid because the Assembly has no taxation powers, but, big initiatives like Green Valleys doesn't convince people - I think the abject failure of Objective 1 has made people cynical of big initiatives.

4. Listening to the BBC (including BBC Wales) bang on about 'conservative rural Welsh-speaking' (a lot of underlying racism there in my view) irritates me. If Plaid is more 'conservative' in the North West it's because it's a party of government and so representing a broader cross section of the population. A society which produce sign-wreckers, and hundreds who went to jail or were arrested for their language, isn't a 'conservative' one! Please also don't patronise the Valleys with this Labour 'socialist' myth either. The Labour vote in the Valleys is a cultural/ethnic one not an ideological one. So, lesson 4 is that Leanne won because she comes from a social/cultural (almost, ethnic) section of Welsh society. Her appeal will be on that. That's what many Plaid voters instinticively voted Leanne, because they understand the (unmentioned) nature of Welsh cultural politics.

5. Interesting that it's today that Guto Bebb, calls for tax raising powers for the Assembly. It'll cause tension within the Tory party, but he also knows there's a constituency of Plaid people, who, may not go the whole hog and join the Tories, but will maybe borrow their vote to the Tories if Leanne veers too far to the left. http://www.bbc.co.uk/newyddion/17396420

"4. Listening to the BBC (including BBC Wales) bang on about 'conservative rural Welsh-speaking' (a lot of underlying racism there in my view) irritates me. If Plaid is more 'conservative' in the North West it's because it's a party of government and so representing a broader cross section of the population. A society which produce sign-wreckers, and hundreds who went to jail or were arrested for their language, isn't a 'conservative' one!"

Well said, M! It has to be added that Leanne doesn't sign up to the view that the north-west is conservative. Dafydd Iwan is not conservative, even if he did eventually end up wielding political power. The same slur is used against Sinn Fein by their opponents, that in the north of Ireland they're conservative and in the south they're left wingers. Plaid is pretty consistent and represents a broad swathe of what is quite a diverse country. But as Jonathan Edwards has said Leanne can be the pan-Wales leader, as long as she has the right team behind her.

Leanne is the ideal person to link our historical nationalist narrative with an alternative, common-sense "what's best for Wales" narrative.

Needless to say, the nationalist movement now has to frame its arguments in order to appeal to this narrative, and I really think that Leanne can do this very effectively.

Some may well feel that Leanne does not have the necessary gravitas to be a leader, but it's not gravitas we need right now- but a figure who can inspire, enthuse and persuade ordinary people that Wales can be a better place.

Of the three candidates, Leanne was quite obviously the best choice. I'm looking forward to the 2016 election already!

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